


Monsters Among Mutants

by BookSpan808



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Timeline, Biting, Blood, Drama, F/M, Romance, Vampire Erik, first encounter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27249859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookSpan808/pseuds/BookSpan808
Summary: An immortal Erik follows a very much alive Rogue into the woods behind Xavier's. AU/Alternate timeline one-shot where Erik became a vampire in the late 1950's in order to defeat Shaw. Non-compliant with the events of First Class onward.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Rogue
Comments: 5
Kudos: 15





	Monsters Among Mutants

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this Halloween-themed one-shot, let me know what you think!

_West Chester, NY- 2001_

The wind rustled through the woods, stirring up the fallen leaves at Erik's feet. As he stared off at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters from a copse of trees, the irony of his situation wasn't lost on him. There once was a time he would have done anything to belong in a place like that, one full of his own kind.

His lips curled up in a small smile, bitterness lingering near the edges.

How the tides of time do turn.

He no longer belonged in the building before him, glittering with light and brimming with life. He no longer belonged among mutant kind.

He hadn't for forty-three years. It was foolish to think otherwise.

Turning away, he gazed into the dark forest before him, letting the stillness sweep over him.

He always did prefer the night.

As he took several steps into the darkness, he heard the faint sound of a door opening. Looking back through a film of branches, Erik could see a figure appear in the rectangle of light created by the mansion's open back door. The figure then shut the door behind it and moved toward the woods where he stood.

"Who might you be?" Erik murmured to himself, "Or _what_ might you be?"

It wasn't until the figure skirted around the large pond located between the mansion and the woods that Erik could see it a little clearer.

It was a young woman, all in black with...cat ears?

His pale brow furrowed. He had seen a variety of mutations over the years, several physically unique. This was a first.

However, as the clouds shifted and the moon lit up the front of her body, Erik realized he had been mistaken. What he had originally thought were real cat ears was simply a black headband resting on top of her brunette hair. He assumed the black whiskers drawn on her heart-shaped face were fake as well.

The woman walked into the fringes of the forest, passing Erik on her way. So intent was she on her destination, she never even noticed the six-foot-tall vampire standing mere feet from her. Watching her stride deeper and deeper into the woods, Erik decided to follow, silently shadowing her. If it wasn't for his enhanced eyesight he would have lost sight of her. With her dark hair and all black costume, it would have been impossible to locate her otherwise.

Idly, Erik wondered if it would be better if he didn't.

He had no plans to harm her, or even to feed off of her.

After all, he had just eaten earlier that night.

Yet something urged him to follow her. Perhaps it was his own growing loneliness, or the oddity of the situation. 

Regardless of what that "something" was, it was strong.

"It's probably related to this particular time of year," he murmured, his words carried away by the autumn breeze.

In his experience, strange things tended to happen on Halloween nights such as this one- unexplainable occurrences and the like. Although, he thought as he avoided a particularly fibrous root, the same could be said about mutants in general. Wasn't their existence unexplainable in many ways?

 _He_ was unexplainable in many ways.

Several moments more passed until the young woman reached her destination: a small clearing with a large semi-flat rock in the middle. She walked over to the monolith and leaned against it. Erik looked on from behind a large oak tree.

The young woman raised her left arm and pulled off the elbow-length glove that encased it with her right hand. Surveying the newly-revealed skin, she smiled softly before repeating the process with the other glove and then the black scarf she wore around her neck. She tossed them all onto the ground next to her.

Tilting her head up so her long hair ripples down her back, she looked up at the night sky. As a gust of wind swept by again and renewed the bite in the air, Erik spoke before he could stop himself.

"Isn't it a little chilly out to be stripping down?"

She turned around and stood up straight, moving to put the rock between her and the direction of the voice. Erik glided out of the darkness and into the moonlight, letting the woman see him.

Eyeing him up and down she spoke, a Southern drawl evident, "Who are you? Why are you here?" 

"I could ask you the same thing," Erik answered with a raised eyebrow.

"You first."

Taking note of her stony face and stiff body language, he decided to oblige.

"My name is Erik, I'm a mutant- same as you."

"How do you know I'm a mutant?"

Erik considered her words. The truth would frighten her, yet he didn't want to lie outright. A half-truth then.

"Well, we're not too far from a school known for taking in mutant students, so it's not much of a stretch to believe you are one. Although," he continued, "You do appear to be older than what I assume the usual demographic would be. Perhaps a young staff member?"

Her shoulders lowered slightly from their tight and raised position as his words registered.

"I'm a student, graduating this year."

"Ah," Erik said succinctly in response. 

"You still haven't answered my second question- why are you here?"

He decided another half-truth was in order.

"I've heard tales of Xavier's and have become curious about it over the years. On my way there, I saw you walk into the woods and wanted to make sure you weren't in distress. You seemed to be in a hurry."

"'Over the years?'" She repeated, skepticism written all over her face. "You're like what, a few years older than me?"

 _Try several decade_ s _,_ Erik thought.

"Besides, I wasn't in distress, I just needed to be alone for a little bit. And there are no tales of Xavier's. It's just a school." She braced her hands on the rock between them, aiming for nonchalance. However, the nails digging into the surface of the rock betrayed her.

"That's not what I've heard." 

He took a minute step forward.

"Then you've heard wrong. Outside of being a school for mutants, there's nothing special about it." Stubbornness coated every word. 

Her eyes tracked his movement, but she didn't step back.

Interesting.

"Mmhmm, if you say so."

He took another small step forward.

"You know my name and how I came to be here, now what about you? Why are you _really_ in the moods on Halloween night?"

She paused briefly before answering. "My name's Rogue. I'm here because I can be."

"Someone likes to be cryptic."

She scoffed, "Why shouldn't I be cryptic? I'm standing in the woods, at night, with a complete stranger."

"I'm not a _complete_ stranger, you know my name and that I'm a mutant."

"Oh yeah? Well then what's your power _Erik_?" Rogue asked as if she doubted that even was his name.

He lifted his arm to waist-level and extended his hand. While keeping his gaze locked on hers, he felt around mentally for any hint of metal. With a small twitch of his pointer finger the cat-ear headband slipped off the top of her head and onto the small pile of her other belongings. Rogue watched it levitate to the ground, seemingly nonplussed.

"So you're telekinetic?"

"Close," Erik said, still enjoying the feel of the metal yielding to his power. "I can manipulate metal- move it, reform it."

"That's useful," Rogue responded. Erik thought he detected a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"I showed you mine, now you show me yours."

Erik finally let his hand and his influence over the headband drop.

Her expression shuttered and her jaw tightened.

"I can't "

"Can't or won't?" Erik challenged.

"Can't. My mutation is...dangerous. When I use it people get hurt. _Badly_." 

Her fingertips gripped the rock in front of her even harder, the tendons in her hands and arms standing out.

"If you can't show me, can you at least describe it?" Erik inquired, his curiosity peaked.

"When I touch someone skin to skin, I suck the life force from them. I end up with all their thoughts and memories; they end up seriously hurt."

"That's-"

"Horrible, evil, monstrous. I've already been told," Rogue interrupted bitterly, looking down. 

"No."

She glanced up, confusion swimming in her eyes.

"I was going to say remarkable. I've never come across someone with a mutation quite like yours. It's a marvelous gift Rogue."

"Remarkable? Marvelous?" She scoffed. "I can't touch anybody with my bare skin without causing them excruciating pain. I have to stay covered up at all times just in case I accidentally brush up against someone. It's _not_ a gift, it's a curse."

Anger began to boil inside him. She had absolutely no concept of how special she truly was. "Is that what they've been teaching you in there? That you're some sort of safety hazard?"

"They didn't have to teach me that, I already knew it. How could I not? My own parents are afraid of me, that's why…" she trailed off into a pained silence.

Erik waited quietly for her to continue. Some things took longer to say than others.

"That's why I'm here. When my mutation first appeared at seventeen, I hurt someone close to me. I almost killed him. My mother wanted to hand me over to The Friends of Humanity. She told me that what I now was went against God and nature. She said I was a danger to society and that I needed to be given to people who could deal with me properly."

Rogue let out a shaky breath.

"My dad didn't agree with her. He knew what would have happened to me if they handed me over to an anti-mutant organization. Instead, he suggested Xavier's. He called them on a Monday and they came for me the next day. And here we are, a little over a year later."

"I'm sorry Rogue, no one should have to go through that."

He really was sorry for her. His own ability manifestation wasn't a joyous one. In fact, it prefaced the darkest days of his life. To some extent, he understood what she went through.

"They _are_ wrong though."

Doubt was written all over her face.

"People- both humans and mutants alike- fear what they can't fully control, and you fall firmly into that category. There is nothing wrong with you Rogue. The problem does not lie with you, but with the living."

She tilted her head, brown eyes boring into him, "You're not just a mutant, are you? You're something extra. The way you talk about humans, and even other mutants, isn't like the others."

For a brief moment he considered lying to her. But, he realized surprisingly, he didn't want to. For the first time in a long time he felt the need to be completely honest with someone, to lay himself bare. 

"I am more than a mutant. It's true."

"What else are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Rogue tacked on hastily, as if not wanting to appear rude. Erik smothered a small smile. You could take the girl out of the South, but apparently not the Southern manners out of the girl.

"I'm a vampire."

"Really?"

He nodded in response to her question. She didn't sound as shocked as he thought she would be.

"Can you prove it?" She asked with a curious lilt in her voice.

Crossing the distance faster than her eyes could discern, he was suddenly before her. He could hear Rogue's breath as it caught in her throat. A primal part of him basked in her reaction. Opening his mouth, he let his fangs slide down. 

She stood transfixed.

"Your power," Erik began, eyes darting to the exposed skin of her arms, "Does it work on everyone?"

"On everyone I've touched skin to skin since I was seventeen," she said in a slightly dazed manner.

"Do you think it would work on me?" Erik asked as he retracted his fangs.

"I don't...I don't know. I've never touched a vampire," she said, still trying to wrap her mind completely around his revelation.

"Would you like to find out?"

Now _that_ got her full attention.

Rogue peered into his face.

"I don't want to hurt you Erik. I've harmed enough people with my powers accidentally. I can't imagine harming someone on purpose with them."

"Do you trust me Rogue?" Erik asked as he held out his right hand.

"Should I?" She wanted to know, staring at his open palm with longing.

"Probably not. But something tells me that you're like me- you don't always do what you're supposed to. You wouldn't be here with me if you did."

Erik could hear her heart rate increase as she approached a decision.

After several moments of contemplation, Rogue placed her hand above his, letting it hover several inches away.

"If you start to feel pain, pull away as soon as you can. Promise?"

He gave a small nod, eyes serious.

"I promise."

Lowering her hand slowly, Rogue held her breath. Closer and closer her hand neared to his, until finally.

Contact.

Almost as if she couldn't help it, her eyes fluttered shut and her lips parted, savoring the precious moments of physical touch.

Erik wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to feel. Drained? Burned? Stabbing pain? 

He felt no such sensation. Only warm, soft skin.

Just as he suspected.

Erik gently wrapped his hand around her smaller one.

"Well," he said after a pause, "It seems as if your mutation doesn't work on everyone."

Rogue's brown-eyed gaze was revealed to him once more, accusation replacing contentment in her eyes.

"You knew this would happen." It wasn't a question.

"I suspected as much," he admitted.

"How?" Rogue demanded, tightening her grip on his hand.

"I became a vampire on purpose."

Rogue's brows knitted together and her mouth opened to speak, obviously not receiving the answer she wanted. In response, Erik gently ran his thumb across her knuckles.

Her lips closed immediately as the novel sensation coursed through her.

"When I was young, someone took everything from me. My freedom. My autonomy. My mother."

He felt a light squeeze on his hand, glancing at her face, he saw the sympathetic look in her eyes. He smiled softly in return.

"At the time I had no way to fight back. I had just come into my mutant ability and had no notion of how to harness it. For a little under a year I was experimented on and tortured; all to twist and mold me into the perfect weapon. The man responsible for all this wasn't successful in his attempts, not completely."

"The man who did this to you, was he also a vampire?" Rogue asked hesitantly.

"No, he was a mutant."

Her eyebrows rose and her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh yes, it's not just humans who can be cruel to mutants."

"I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. After all, not everybody at Xavier's is so nice, not even all the teachers," Rogue admitted, turning her head to look in the general direction of the school. She gripped his hand tighter, almost as if subconsciously seeking comfort.

"They don't understand your power and so they fear it, punishing you for their ignorance."

She huffed out a breath and smiled slightly- clearly disbelieving.

"Maybe."

Before Erik could assure her again, she continued, "What kind of mutation did he have? The man who hurt you?"

"Shaw could absorb energy, store it, and release it in any way he desired. Fighting him physically was nearly impossible. Anything I threw at him was absorbed or redirected. I even tried cutting him in half- brutal, I know," he said after catching sight of her disgusted face. 

"But I was desperate and wanted vengeance so much, for everything he had done to me and everything he might do in the future. I knew if he were dead, then perhaps I could stop looking over my shoulder, waiting for him to come back."

"So it wasn't just about getting revenge. It was also about getting closure," she said slowly.

"Yes."

"And becoming a vampire was your vengeance? So you could outlive him?"

Erik considered her words, "In a way, yes. The concept of existing eternally in a world without Shaw was certainly appealing. However, there was a more important reason. To permanently kill someone who absorbs energy, I had to become something that also absorbs energy. A life for a life."

Rogue began to put the pieces together.

"So Shaw was used to people fighting him by expending energy, not taking it- his powers are useless when it comes to that."

"Extremely useless."

"That's how you knew my skin probably wouldn't hurt you. This wasn't your first rodeo with mutants who absorb power."

"Exactly," Erik responded, staring at their still-intertwined hands. Rogue also redirected her gaze down.

"It's been so long," she said with a note of wonder, "Since I've touched someone's bare skin without causing them pain. It's nice to know I still can, that there's still hope."

Lifting her chin up, Erik caught sight of her tear-filled eyes. His undead heart thawed slightly. She was so young to possess such a burden. Her ability was a marvel in so many ways, yet it came with such a steep price. 

He only hoped she was strong enough to weather it.

"As amazing as your power is Rogue, you are so much more than just a vessel for it. You can't let your mutation dictate your life forever. It exists to help you, not hinder."

"But-"

"Are you going to trust a seventy-one year old vampire who has been right about everything else so far, or not?"

She was quiet for a few moments before mouthing "seventy one" to herself. As she registered the rest of his words, a reluctant smile began to form.

"That's what I thought." His own smile began to appear.

"You've given me so much tonight- advice, hope, touch. You have no idea what it means to me. If only there was…." Rogue trailed off and bit her full bottom lip, suddenly deep in thought.

"'If only there was' what?" He prompted curiously.

Taking a deep breath, she seemed to brace herself.

"I don't have anything to give you to show you how thankful I am- except for my blood."

He was completely and utterly stunned.

No one, _and he meant no one_ , had ever offered him their blood. Usually he glamoured those he fed from, taking what he needed and leaving them none the wiser. Perhaps slightly woozy or confused, but overall unharmed. 

There were those he drained, however. Degenerates and the scum of the earth who were unfit to exist. So he made sure they no longer did.

But this? This was certainly a first.

"You," he said slowly, "Would willingly let me bite you?"

"Yes. My blood is the only thing I have that you would want from me." Determination filled her voice.

Erik gave her spandex-clad body a covert once over. Her statement wasn't exactly true, but he would let that one go...for now.

"Are you certain about this? After all, you know nothing about vampire feeding habits. For instance, the bite itself could cause you unbearable agony."

"Are you mocking me?" Rogue demanded, jerking her head toward her exposed skin.

"No," he responded with a grave expression. "You're not the only one who can cause extreme pain with a seemingly innocent touch."

She sucked in a breath, although she still appeared mostly undeterred. "Is there any extreme pain involved when you bite someone?"

"Not usually," he said and pressed the pointer finger of his free hand against her plush lips when she began to speak. "But there could have been and you had no way of knowing. There are others of my kind who would not be so candid, therefore you should be more careful in the future if you ever come across another."

"They're not all like you?" 

Erik felt the side of his mouth curl up. For someone who had tasted the harsher side of what life had to offer, she was still somewhat naive. 

It was oddly refreshing.

"Much like humans and mutants, vampires vary. Some are better. Many are much, _much_ worse."

"And which one are you?" 

"Which do you think?" 

He honestly wanted to know. Despite grappling with the same question for many years, the answer had never become particularly clear. By becoming something inhuman, had he also become inhumane?

"You're one of the better ones," she stated, no trace of doubt in her voice. "If you were completely evil you would have killed me the minute you saw me. Instead, you helped me more than anyone else ever has. And that's why I still want to give you my blood, to give you something meaningful in return."

Erik looked at her and could almost physically feel the trust and determination pouring from her.

He should say no. He should turn around and never look back. He _should_ do a lot of things. 

Instead, he was going to do what he _wanted_ to do.

With the hand that still held hers, he tugged her nearer to him. Shifting even closer to her, he brushed her dark hair away from her neck. Rogue inhaled sharply as the backs of his fingers stroked the soft skin along her collarbone. 

He dipped his dark head down to nestle in the curve of her neck. Letting his cool breath whisper against her skin, he asked her one final time, "Are you certain you want to do this?"

Baring her neck to the side, she answered, "Yes."

As he skimmed his nose down the long line of her neck, he felt his fangs lengthen at the scent of her. After tenderly laying a kiss on the taut skin at the base of her neck, he gently slid his fangs in.

 _Exquisite,_ he thought as her blood filled his mouth. Everyone's blood tasted different depending on age, blood type, and lifestyle.

Rogue's blood was the best he'd had.

After his first mouthful he had to wrap his arm around her as her legs gave out.

After the second, he felt her hand grip his hair and push his face even closer to her.

After the third, he heard a slight moan escape her.

After the fourth, the faint scent of her arousal reached him.

After the fifth, he reluctantly slid his fangs from her and drug his tongue over the punctured skin to seal it.

Straightening slightly, he looked down into Rogue's face, which was surprisingly flushed considering her recent blood loss. She gazed at him with glassy eyes.

Eyes that were wandering to look at his mouth.

He found himself returning the favor.

With the hand that was still tangled in his hair, Rogue softly tugged him back down towards her- this time for a completely different reason. 

As the distance between their lips closed Erik could feel-

"Rogue!"

Startling, both their heads jerked toward the new, very unwelcome voice echoing through the trees.

"Rogue! Where are you? You have five minutes to come out before I come in there to look for you!"

"Damn," she whispered, disappointment bleeding into her voice as the intimate moment was lost

Erik straightened to his full height, Rogue's hand falling from him as she regained her footing.

"You should go, before they send in the search parties," he murmured, unable to keep regret from tingeing his words.

"You could come with me, see if there really is more to Xavier's than just a school," she said, looking up at him again.

For a second, he let the fantasy play out in his mind. Returning hand in hand with Rogue. Existing amongst the living once again- and mutants nonetheless. Being welcomed with open arms exactly as he was: mutant and vampire...

And then he let the fantasy fade away. He would never be accepted, not anymore. He had made his choice, and no matter how isolating and ostracizing it was, he couldn't bring himself to regret it. 

He was what he was. 

A monster among mutants.

And there was nothing wrong with that.

"One more minute Rogue! I mean it! I don't have time to play hide and seek, not in these heels!"

Erik returned her gaze with a small, sad smile.

"You know as well as I that that's not an option. Not a real one."

She looked as if she wanted to argue.

"However," he continued, "While _I_ cannot come with you, _you_ could come with me. You don't belong among them, not really. "

She really didn't. As long as she stayed at Xavier's she would be feared, labeled a threat. A monster among mutants, the same as him.

Based on her expression, she knew it too, whether she was ready to admit it or not.

"ROGUE!"

She grabbed his cold hand in her warm one as the wind rustled through the trees and stirred up the fallen leaves at their feet.

"Can you give me a little time to think about it?"

For the first time in a long time, a broad smile graced Erik's handsome face.

He had nothing but time.


End file.
